Saying no
by Danym
Summary: How hard is it to say “no”? [GSR, futurefic]


Saying no

By Dany

Summary: How hard is it to say "no"?

Rating: K+

A/N: This is a AU future fic and pure fluff. Don't say I didn't warn you.  
Thanks to my wonderful betas.

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI.

xxxxx

Sara never had a problem saying "no" – at least she didn't think so until now.

She was on her third shopping trip in two weeks and her patience was wearing thin. She knew they only had the best intentions, but she didn't know how much more she could take.

Thinking about the past trips, she wasn't even sure how she had been roped into agreeing to them, but it had to stop. The next time someone asked her she would just say no.

And exactly therein lay the problem.

How would she be able to manage that when she couldn't stop it right now? Because she didn't have the heart to tell her companion that she was not enjoying herself when he was only trying to help her.

When had she become so…weak?

The answer was simple. She was not weak. They were her family and never before had she had a family to rely on. It was natural that she was hesitant to do something that could jeopardize the trust and loyalty she had found with the team. And that meant indulging them when they had set out to spoil her.

That's why she was here on her third shopping trip for the baby.

Two weeks ago, it had gotten too difficult to hide that not only her middle was expanding. The change was noticeable in her whole body, and it would only be a matter of time until everyone else was in on their secret.

Their secret - their baby.

Sara smiled involuntarily at that thought. It was really happening. She and Grissom were having a baby.

It hadn't really been a conscious decision with long discussions. Somehow they had just 'forgotten' to use any contraception – both of them.

Grissom had been slightly shocked that it had happened so fast, but he had recovered quickly and hadn't stopped smiling since. Well, at least when they were home.

He had come back from his sabbatical refreshed and with new ideas, cutting back on his hours at the lab and taking a small teaching position at UNLV - a two-hour seminar each week. It seemed to be what he needed and gave him enough time to bring the focus back on their relationship.

He had done his best to make up for lost time and left her without doubt that she was what he wanted. Once she had been able to let the last of her reservations go, Grissom moved their relationship to the next level and that was when they had made the baby 'decision.'

She had been scared at first and still was to some degree, but she was also confident that they could learn. That's what they did best, after all.

When she had started showing, there had been long discussions on when and how to tell the others and they had agreed to put it off until the last moment possible – which had been two weeks ago.

xxxxx

There was no way a lab coat or some files could hide her growing bump any longer, so Sara decided to have some fun.

She dressed completely contrary to what she had worn for the previous weeks. Every article of clothing accentuated the change in her body except for the jacket that she threw over it all, but that was just to get to the break room without being ambushed by a heard of lab techs.

Grissom waited with her as everyone trickled in, pretending to go through the assignment slips and the leftover cases from last night.

Catherine was the last to arrive and a small nod from Grissom was her cue to get the show on the road.

She put away the magazine that had been hiding her body along with the table. Then she got up slowly to make herself some tea. Her movements were unhurried, giving everyone the chance to take a good look at her.

The form fitting top showed off her new curves perfectly and she knew they had caught on when the break room fell silent. Her tea was done and instead of sitting back down, she moved to stand beside Grissom.

It was hard not to laugh at the expressions on the others' faces, but she bit her tongue.

Catherine could not stop staring at her belly, eyes wide, blinking, as if she'd seen a ghost, while Nick was shaking his head, furrowing his brows and worrying his ring, trying to analyze all of the evidence he had been given. All in all, that had been the reactions they had expected.

The one who completely surprised them was Greg. He had a huge grin on his face as his eyes moved back and forth between her rounded middle and her face. "I knew it!"

He jumped up, rounding the table to envelop Sara in a hug before holding out his hand to Grissom. "Congratulations, man."

A surprised Grissom shook his hand, and when Sara started laughing, he joined her. Greg, the rookie, had figured it out while three seasoned CSIs had been left in the dark.

Catherine was doing a pretty good imitation of a fish, not knowing what she should say, but Nick and Warrick seemed to have come out of their trance and followed Greg's example.

It took Catherine another minute, but then she shook both of their hands and congratulated them. She was still a bit tense, but they decided to ignore it and get back to work.

By the end of shift, everyone knew about the baby and rumors were flying high. Since they had already hashed things out with the sheriff, Sara wasn't worried, but the constant barrage of questions had worn her out.

In that vulnerable state, Greg had approached her, asking if he could buy something for the baby. She tried to argue her way out, but she was powerless against his puppy dog look.

Out of fear he would buy something totally inappropriate that would set Grissom off, she agreed to join him.

She should have known that it wouldn't stop there.

xxxxx

When Brass approached her, she immediately knew that it wasn't about work. He wanted to follow the pattern the guys had set; first Greg then Nick and Warrick.

Sara mentally steeled herself to say no, but saw little chance of actually doing it. It was Brass, and a few kind words from him easily beat Greg's puppy dog look. She couldn't even blame hormones for it.

"Relax, I'm not going to bite you," Brass said as he came to stand next to her.

She forced a smile and silently kept repeating, 'Just say no!'

"Man, you're tense. Make Grissom pamper you and give you a massage."

"He already does." She would have never confessed that to anyone else, but Brass was a huge exception.

Grissom, just like her, didn't want to spill any personal details like that. It didn't matter that most saw him as a closed off loner with no social skills. The truth was, however, that he had done nothing but pamper her since they had found out about the baby. He always told her that he wanted her to be as comfortable as possible.

She indulged him, but if she was honest, she had to admit that it did feel good, even if it had taken her a while to get used to it.

"Good, if not, I would have to have a few choice words with him."

Sara had to fight a giggle at the thought of that conversation, and Brass was glad that he had been able to break up some of the tension.

"I just wanted ask you if you would let me know when I should cough up some money."

At her puzzled stare, Brass continued. "I'm not going to make you go shopping as well. You should drag Grissom's sorry ass with you and make him decide. If you find something you like – a bed, a dresser, a play pen, whatever – tell me and I'd like to make it a present for you guys and the little rug rat. No limit."

Sara was at a loss for words. Brass had really surprised her.

When she felt tears spring to her eyes, she looked down, this time blaming the hormones. The real tear-jerker came when Brass pulled her into his arms.

"I'm so happy for you. Let me know if you need _anything_," he stressed before letting go.

Sara nodded mutely, still overwhelmed by it all.

Brass turned to go, but as if on second thought, he looked back at her. "Just make sure he doesn't pick a motive with spiders or any other creepy crawlers."

All of the tension was relieved when she laughed at Brass' comment.

Funny how wrong he was about that. Grissom wanted a neutral motif but she was the one pushing to make the baby to follow its father's footsteps. She wanted their baby to love bugs as much as he did. There would definitely be bugs on the bed and it was she who wouldn't take "no" for an answer.

The end


End file.
